The Model Primary Health Centre at Medavakkam in Chennai will soon develop a Siddha garden at its campus with a financial aid from two non-governmental organisations. A Siddha unit is also working in the PHC campus.
Apart from the state government and the Medavakkam Village Punchayath, Chennai-based NGO, Catalyst Trust of Chennai and Germany-based Terratech are the sponsors of the project. The project on public -private partnership will be completed in 2010, said Dr Ramya Glory, chief medical officer of the PHC. The total outlay of the project is estimated to Rs 1.8 crore, she said.
The Siddha Medical Officer of the Siddha unit at the PHC, Dr. Siddique Ali said about one hundred patients visit the Siddha Unit everyday for treating various diseases. The unit has been functioning in the PHC campus from 1982. Arthritis, skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and respiratory ailments are the major diseases for which people approach the unit, he told Pharmabiz.
According to him, in a few months time, some other ailments could be treated in the health centre using traditional medicines. For availing all kinds of plants for treating with traditional medicines, the state government has come forward with a proposal to develop the Siddha garden.
The medical officer said trees such as 'ashoka' (a rare species for treating women during pregnancy), 'vila' (for ulcer) and 'vaahai' (for tuberculosis) among others and shrubs such as 'aada thoda' (for cold and cough), 'naaga malli' (eczema), 'Vetpalai' (for psoriasis), 'Kudachapalai' (for Amebiasis) and 'sarpa gandha' (for blood pressure) would be cultivated in the garden.
Herbs such as 'thulasi' and 'thara,' among others, would also be raised. In all, over 100 varieties of medicinal plants, shrubs and herbs would be cultivated in the garden spread over nearly one acre, Dr Ali said. Centre for Traditional Medicines and Research (CTMR) is the agency supplying variety of plants to the garden.
The model PHC at Medavakkam is the Block Primary Health Centre at the St Thomas Mount Block.